Pending juvenile liquor cases: Board asks police to furnish details

Taking exception to delayed filing of chargesheets in some select cases under Prohibition Act by more than a year and a half, the juvenile justice board (JJB) of Biharsharif on Saturday directed Nalanda police to furnish details of all chargesheets filed over past two years

Taking exception to delayed filing of chargesheets in some select cases under Prohibition Act by more than a year and a half, the juvenile justice board (JJB) of Biharsharif on Saturday directed Nalanda police to furnish details of all chargesheets filed over past two years.

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According to officials, more than 50 cases under Prohibition Act are pending for want of chargesheets and case diary in 21 police stations of Nalanda district. The highest seven cases are pending in Bihar police station, while other cases are pending with eight police stations, including Chandi, Noorsarai, Laheri, Karaiparsurai, Parwalpur and Sarmera.

Principal Magistrate Mavendra Mishra directed the Nalanda superintendent of police (SP) Hariprasth S to prepare a list of all chargesheets between 2018 and ­2021. He also asked him to seek the status of filing of chargesheet from the investigating officers (IO) concerned. “It is the duty of police to complete investigation within a reasonable time, submit relevant reports and produce witness before the board within the time frame,” the board observed.

According to JJB’s counsel Pramod Kumar, slow investigations by police are not only prolonging trails but also overcrowding jails and putting undue burden on parties. In case of minors, it also leads to trauma, he said.

“Often police delay filing of chargesheets. Forensic reports too are delayed. Even though, as per Juvenile Justice (Care and protection of children) Act, every inquiry into the cases relating to juveniles has to be complete within four months, as many as 50 cases related to Prohibition Act are pending in JJB. Due to the serious nature of the case, the JJB cannot not terminate the case despite non-submission of chargesheets”.

Earlier, monitoring bench of juvenile justice comprising Justice Ashwani Kumar Singh, Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice Arvind Srivastava, through video conferencing with the Principal Magistrates of JJBs in Bihar, expressed concern over slow disposal of cases across the state.

Following this, the Principal Magistrates were directed to write to chief judicial magistrates (CJMs) and district judges (DJs) concerned with the such cases for appropriate direction.

The Nalanda SP said such old cases under Prohibition Act should not be pending for filing of chargesheet. “If old cases are still pending, I will look into the matter and get them disposed of by filing chargesheet as soon as possible,” he said.